FIVE MO' THINGS, 2/6/13
1) Fax machines. I have sent two faxes in my life. Neither was to let the college of my choice know that I'd be enrolling in the fall. Both times, someone had to help me send my fax. With all the ways that Signing Day has evolved - We know more about high school players than ever (yet, we really know little about how good they'll be in college), the process is more transparent than ever, and social media has allowed superfans to be creepier than ever as they beg high school kids to attend their favorite school - most everything still revolves around a piece machinery that's a relic is most offices. Even better, many schools now have a camera fixated on the football office's fax machine (You can watch UC's "Fax Cam" here if you're so inclined, and really, why wouldn't you be?), giving us a chance to share in the excitement of a person pulling pages from a fax machine. If it was 1994, you could've experienced this phenomenon first hand at any number of workplaces in the country. In the 21st Century however, the fax machine is relevant one day a year, except at Chipotle, which still takes lunch orders on one. So as you listen to your team's favorite coach talks about how great his signing class is, and as you prepare to fire off Tweets to that four-star running back begging him to play for your team, let's remember both how awesome signing day is for the parents and supporters of these great athletes, and let's celebrate a largely irrelevant piece of machinery that gets its moment in the spotlight on one memorable day every year.
(Signing Day guests today will include Tommy Tuberville, Kerry Coombs, and Don Treadwell. UK declined our request to have one of their coaches on because the school hates its Cincinnati affiliate)
2) Bad uniforms. Bad non-calls. Great game. Let's start with these....
Ever take too many vitamins? Know how your pee turns an almost fluorescent shade of yellow? That's what these uniforms reminded me of.
Regardless of what the teams were wearing, Ohio State and Michigan put on a hell of a show last night. Remember when Big Ten basketball resembled wrestling matches? Now, its offering up some of the most watchable games in the sport. The Aaron Craft/Trey Burke one-on-one matchup was the best of its kind so far this season, and each team answered the other's daggers in the game's final 15 minutes.
Fantastic game. Bad finish.
Yes, Craft should've been called for a flagrant foul.
Yes, not finding Deshaun Thomas in critical moments late is a mistake.
Yes, Tim Hardaway's kid should've been called for a foul against Craft at the end of the game.
I wonder if the "you can't make a tough call at the end of a close game" argument holds much water for Buckeye fans this morning. It shouldn't.
3) UC Watch Party tonight at the Holy Grail. The Bearcats are playing Providence. We will watch this game, I will yell things at the TV, and when I'm not doing that, I'll be giving away prizes including UC/Villanova tickets. Also, the Grail has bucket beer specials. Our web person made this nice flier to attract your attention....
4) Brandon Phillips as Devo. Brandon Phillips as Devo? Brandon Phillips as Devo.
(Photo courtesy of ESPN The Magazine)
5) No one will want to play Kentucky in March. Almost everyone agrees on a couple of things...
A) That there's no real great teams in college basketball. (I still think Indiana is on the cusp of being great)
B) That Kentucky, despite their youth and inexperience, is among the nation's most talented teams.
So would any of these teams in the tournament, almost all of which lack "greatness" really want to play one of the sport's most talented? Especially as it begins to both gel and get healthy? I don't think so.
....But Wait There's More....
-Every year someone asks a stupid question like the one posed by Mike Bianci of The Orlando Sentinel, and every year the answer is "no."
Especially when the team in question can't even be competitive against Arkansas.
-Sports gambling should be legal. This guys argues why.
-I refuse to believe that this is real....
-This is an important blog post from Dallas Latos. Help save the life of a Cincinnati Reds employee.
-If you missed Lance's show last night, the segment with Brad Redford, Joe Hughes, and Erik Stenger, talking about Hughes' battle with cancer is a must-listen.
-Not as much a must-listen, our radio show today at 3:04 on ESPN1530. We'll have a rundown later. Here's The Steelers fan who showed up at the Ravens championship parade....
